The mission was to head into the Sierra Nevada on Saturday afternoon of Labor Day Weekend and then find an easy trail with a stellar pay-off, a spectacular ridge-top viewpoint and then a free campsite.

To make it even more impossible, the mission was to do it at the Bowman Lakes Recreation Area. It’s located off Highway 20, a short jaunt from Interstate 80 at Yuba Gap. It’s packed with vacation visitors all summer long.

This 23-pic photo gallery captures Saturday’s adventure and the results. The story publishes Sunday evening at sfgate.com/outdoors and Monday morning in the San Francisco Chronicle.